Gibbons gets his chance to say goodbye
The end of the John Gibbons era in Toronto was announced Wednesday, with the Texan mixing some of his token wit with genuine emotion as the Blue Jays made official the longrumoured breakup between club and its manager.
“We kept that secret pretty good, didn’t we?” the 56year-old joked after general manager Ross Atkins confirmed Gibbons will not be at the helm of the AL club come 2019.
It was a measure of the man that the organization chose to make the announcement ahead of Wednesday evening’s final home game of the season against the Houston Astros.
Gibbons, Atkins said, has impacted thousands of players and hundreds of staff members within the organization, as well as countless fans who support it. He deserved a respectful send-off from the club for which he has racked up a 791-787 (. 501) record in two stints over 11 seasons heading into Wednesday.
In a season with little to cheer for, Gibbons has seen his stock with fans skyrocket.
“The fans, I’m a little surprised, they’ve kind of taken to me a little bit,” he said.
“At least I seem to hear the good ones now.”
If Gibbons is being honest, he expected to be sent packing when president and CEO Mark Shapiro and Atkins joined the front office in 2015. He admitted it was unusual for a new regime to keep an old manager on staff.
“He put a lot of money in my pocket, that’s not bad either,” Gibbons quipped.
Three years later, though, it’s time to say goodbye. In front of a packed audience that included media, Jays staff and even Kevin Pillar, the longest-tenured Toronto player who has not experienced another manager in the big leagues, Gibbons called the decision to go in a different direction “the best for both sides,” and said he and Atkins are on good terms.
He also expressed interest in managing again, but knows those jobs are hard to come by. Either way, he’d like to stay in the game in some capacity because: “I’m not ready to retire yet.
“I’ll always be a Blue Jay, but I’ve been in baseball a long time now and I get how this business works . ... I’ve been here a long time and I agree it’s probably time for a change,” Gibbons said. “They’re rebuilding here and actually I think I’m the perfect guy for a rebuild, but I don’t know if I have the energy.”
Atkins said he and Gibbons have discussed the idea of him continuing his relationship with the club in a consultant’s role, but those conversations have only happened on a “surface level.”
As for who might replace Gibbons and what kind of changes the Jays are looking for, Atkins left those answers for a later date.
“Because of the man that Gibby is, we are here today respectfully and we’re grateful for that because he deserves that, there’s no doubt,” Atkins said. “As it relates to moving forward, I’d be glad to talk to you about that in the future.”
Boiling down more than a decade of work and a second goround that was nicer than the first isn’t easy for Gibbons, but he points to the post-season run in 2015, the first time the Jays made the playoffs in more than two decades, as a highlight.
“To do that when you are the manager of the team, because that is the ultimate goal, that’s what stands out, but I’ve had so many good memories in this place in good times and bad.”
He said he had no regrets about his time in Toronto and thanked the likes of former Jays manager turned Sportsnet broadcaster Buck Martinez, former Jays general managers Alex Anthopoulos and J.P. Ricciardi and former team presidents Paul Beeston and Paul Godfrey in his final remarks. The manager then choked up as he said goodbye to those present at the news conference, offering a little salute when he couldn’t get his words out.
“I can’t thank you guys enough and we’ll be friends forever,” Gibbons said.
It was only the start of what was likely an emotional day for the manager, who got his fair share of love from the Rogers Centre crowd during the game.
Gibbons didn’t know what to expect, but, ever the competitor, had one hope for how it would play out.
“I’ve never been a big fanfare guy, I just kind of live my life low key, so hopefully I don’t have to go to the mound too often. I’d like to finish it off with a win at home. Put it that way.”